Guidance

Research England HEIF policies and priorities

Information for higher education providers on the use of Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF) allocations for academic year 2026 to 2027 onwards.

• From: Research England
• Published: 21 May 2021
• Last updated: 7 August 2026 - see all updates

Documents

Higher Education Innovation Funding policies and priorities 2025 to 2031

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Details

This publication sets out the policies and priorities of the Higher Education Innovation Fund for the next funding period.

It covers the requirements of higher education providers in receipt of funding, including requests for accountability statements.

Updates

• 7 August 2026
  Clarification of data reporting requirements in cases of provider merger or organisational change, confirming alignment with the Office for Students’ statutory reporting requirement. This update does not constitute a policy change.
• 29 October 2025
  Removed HEIF policies and priorities PDF: Aug correction, Annex B: HEIF accountability statement narrative return template and Annex C: HEIF accountability statement financial return template.
• 29 October 2025
  Higher Education Innovation Funding policies and priorities 2025 to 2031 HTML added.